What does Islam say about circumcision? I have
decided to write an article dealing with this topic since it is not brought up
much, and when it is most Muslim's do not really know the status of circumcision
in Islam. There are Christians who claim circumcision is not called for in
Islam, so therefore Muslims have no right on criticizing Christians for not
practicing it and abrogating it. However this is not true, on the contrary
Islam does call for circumcision, we provide the proof for this:

Question:
Is it permissible to circumcise a baby boy before the age of seven days,
especially when this is the practice in some hospitals? Someone told me that it
is haraam (forbidden) to do this before seven days and
makrooh (disliked) after that time.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is sunnah to
circumcise baby boys, and it is neither haraam nor makrooh to bring it forward before the seventh day or to
delay it. The ruling is not strict, and the interests of the child are to be
taken into account. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Five things are
part of the fitrah(natural disposition of
man): circumcision, shaving
the pubic hair, cutting the moustache, cutting the nails and plucking the
armpit hair.” (Saheeh: agreed upon).

Question:
Is circumcision mandatory for the man who adopts Islam? What is the Islamic
rule on female circumcision?

Answer:

All Praise be
to Allaah.
To the dear inquirer:

We appreciate the question you
have submitted, as it is an issue which is truly among those which may pose a
hindrance in some cases for those who wish to adopt Islaam.

In reality the issue is really
simpler than many may think. Male circumcision is among the rites of Islaam and is part of the fitrah, or the innate disposition
and natural character and instinct of the human creation, and is from the
religion of Ibrahim (peace be
upon him). Allaah has said (interpretation of the
meaning): "Then we revealed to you
(the command) to follow the pure and uncorrupted religion of Ibrahim."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was circumcisized
when he was eighty years old." (Al-Bukhari, Vol 6/p. 388, Al-Salfiyya
printing).

Male circumcision is obligatory
for the Muslim male if he is able to do it. If, however, he is unable, whether
due to fear of injury or if a respected and authoritative doctor has told him
he will experience profuse bleeding which may make his life miserable, then the
obligation for cirumcision is waived and he does not
commit a sin by not having it done.

It is not permissible under any
circumstance for the issue to become a hindrance for a person wanting to accept
Islaam. The validity of one's acceptance of Islaam is not dependent on his performance of circumcision
and it is valid for one to adopt Islaam even if he
has not had himself circumcized.

(http://islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=463&ln=eng&txt=circumcision)

Praise be
to Allaah.

Yes, there are benefits of circumcision
insofar as it is part of the sunan (ways) of the Prophets and is part of the sunan al-fitrah
(acts that befit the natural state of man). It is cleaner and healthier in terms
of urination and intercourse, and prevents infection, etc. These and other
benefits far outweigh the pain caused, which is less for infants than for
adults.

Moreover, a number of the
scholars have said that circumcision is obligatory for males. IbnQudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Mughni: “Circumcision
is an obligation for men and an honour, not an obligation, for women.” This is
the opinion of a number of scholars. Ahmad said: “It is more of an obligation
for men, because if a man is not circumcised, this piece of skin will be
dangling down over the head of the penis and it will be too difficult to clean
left-over urine properly.” It is not so strict in the case of women. Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Ibn ‘Abbaas used to be very strict in this matter, and it is
reported that he said that no Hajj or salaah would be
accepted, i.e., from the one who is not circumcised.” Al-Hasan
was more lenient; he said: “If a person enters Islam, it is not essential for
him to be circumcised.” And he said: “Black and white people embraced Islam,
but not one of them was checked or forced to get circumcised.”

The evidence that it is
obligatory is the fact that covering the ‘awrah (private parts) is obligatory, so if circumcision
were not obligatory, it would not be permissible for the one who wants to be
circumcised to uncover his ‘awrah for this purpose. Circumcision is one of the
signs of a Muslim, and like the other signs, it is obligatory. If an adult male
embraces Islam and is afraid that circumcision would be harmful for him, then
he is excused, because a person may be excused from ghusl,
wudoo’, etc., if he fears that they may be harmful
for him, so it is more so in the case of circumcision. If a person is confident
that it will not be harmful, then he has to do it. Hanbal
said: “I asked Abu ‘Abd-Allaah about the Dhimmi (non-Muslim under Islamic rule) who embraces Islam:
did he think that he should be circumcised? He said: ‘There is no alternative
to that (i.e. he has to).’ I asked: what if he or she is advanced in age? He
said: ‘It is better for him to be circumcised, because
of the hadeeth: “Ibraaheem
was circumcised when he was eighty years old,” and Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “…
it is the religion of your father Ibraaheem…” [al-Hajj 22:78]’”

So our advice to you is to go
ahead and have your son circumcised by someone who is skilled and experienced.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Five things are part of the fitrah: circumcision, removing
the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, cutting the nails, and plucking the
armpit hair.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5441)

Circumcision is a part of sunan al-fitrah (actions befitting the natural state of man) for
men and women, but if it is not done after a person is fully-grown, there is
nothing to worry about. As for a non-circumcised man leading the prayers, this
is valid.

Circumcision is part of the sunnah, and is obligatory on
Muslims when they are born, however so, if they are grown up and have not done
it, then there is no reason to do so. For instance a person who was born into a
non-Muslim and non-Jewish family may most likely not get circumcision done, he
will not have to get one when he is a man neither, however if he is born into a
Muslim family, circumcision is a must.

Praise be
to Allaah.

Circumcision is one of the
characteristics of the fitrah (the natural state of
man), and it is one of the symbols of the Muslims, because it is narrated in al-Saheehayn
that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The
(characteristics of) the fitrah are five: circumcision,
shaving the pubic hair, trimming the moustache, cutting the fingernails and
plucking the armpit hairs.’” So he (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) started with circumcision and said that it is one of the
characteristics of the fitrah.

Circumcision as prescribed by
Islam involves cutting the foreskin covering the glans
of the penis only. Those who flay the skin surrounding the penis or flay the
entire penis, as is done in some savage countries, and claim in their ignorance
that this is the circumcision prescribed in Islam, this is nothing but
something prescribed by the Shaytaan and made
attractive to the ignorant, and it is a torment to the one who is circumcised.
It goes against the Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Islamic sharee’ah which is based on ease and which enjoins
preservation of life.

It is haraam
for a number of reasons, including the following:

1- The Sunnah
mentions cutting off the foreskin covering the glans
of the penis only.

2- This is torture and
mutilation, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade mutilation
and torture of dumb beasts, committing outrages upon them or cutting off their
limbs. It is more appropriate that tormenting the sons of Adam should be more
forbidden, and a more serious sin.

3- This is contrary to the
humanity and kindness encouraged by the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he
said, “Allaah has decreed humanity in all things.”

4- This may lead to disease or
death of the one who is circumcised, and that is not permissible because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and do not throw yourselves into destruction”

[al-Baqarah 2:195]

“And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:29]

Hence the scholars stated that it
is not obligatory to circumcise an adult if there is the fear of any of these
things happening to him.

With regard to bringing men and
women together on a certain day to attend the circumcision and parade the child
uncovered in front of them, this is haraam, because
it involves uncovering the ‘awrah which Islam
dictates should be covered, and forbade us to uncover it.

Similarly, mixing between men and
women on this occasion is not permitted, because of the fitnah
(temptation) involved and because it goes against the pure sharee’ah.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote a useful book on the
rulings concerning the newborn, which he called Tuhfat al-MawdoodfiAhkaam al-Mawlood. In this
book he wrote an extensive chapter in which he spoke of circumcision and the
rulings thereon. The following is a summary of that, with additional comments
from some other scholars.

1 – The meaning of circumcision (khitaan):

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Khitaan is a noun describing the action of the circumciser (khaatin). It is also used to
describe the site of the circumcision, as in the hadeeth,
“When the two circumcised parts (al-khitaanaan) meet, ghusl
become obligatory.” In the case of a female the word used is khafad. In the
male it is also called i’dhaar. The one who is
uncircumcised is called aghlaf
or aqlaf.

Tuhfat al-Mawlood, 1/152

2 – Circumcision is the Sunnah of Ibraaheem and the
Prophets after him:

Al-Bukhaari
(6298) and Muslim (2370) narrated that Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)
circumcised himself when he was eighty years old, and he circumcised himself
with an adze.”

An adze (qadoom) is a carpenter’s tool; it
was also said that al-Qadoom is a place is Syria.

Al-HaafizibnHajar said:

It is most likely that what is
referred to in the hadeeth is the tool. Abu Ya’laa narrated that ‘Ali ibnRabaah said: “Ibraaheem was
commanded to circumcise himself, so he circumcised himself with an adze and it
was very painful for him. Then Allaah revealed to him
saying, “You rushed to do it before We told you what
tool to use.” He said, “O Lord, I did not want to delay obeying Your command.”

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Circumcision was one of the
things with which Allaah tested Ibraaheem,
His Close Friend. He did them perfectly so Allaah
made him a leader of mankind. It was narrated that he was the first one who was
circumcised, as mentioned above. What it says in al-Saheeh is that Ibraaheem
circumcised himself when he was eighty years old. After him, circumcision continued
among the Messengers and their followers, even the Messiah. He was circumcised
and the Christians affirm that, and do not deny that, as they also affirm that
he was forbidden the flesh of pigs…

Tuhfat al-Mawdood, p. 158-159

But the scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) differed as to the ruling on

circumcision.

ShaykhIbn ‘Uthaymeen
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The most correct view is that it
is obligatory in the case of men and Sunnah in the
case of women. The difference between them is that in the case of men, it
serves an interest which has to do with one of the conditions of prayer, namely
purity (tahaarah), because if the foreskin remains,
when the urine comes out of the urethra, some of it will collect there, and
this causes burning and infection every time the person moves, and every time
the foreskin is squeezed, some drops of urine come out, thus causing najaasah (impurity).

In the case of women, it serves a
useful purpose which is to reduce desire. This is seeking perfection, not
removing something harmful.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 1/133-134

This is the view of Imam Ahmad
(may Allaah have mercy on him). IbnQuddamah said in al-Mughni (1/115): As for circumcision, it is obligatory
for men and it is good in the case of woman, but it is not obligatory for them.

3 – Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said:

Abu’l-Barakaat said in his book al-Ghaayah:
In circumcision of a man, the skin at the tip of the penis (the foreskin) is
removed; if he only removes most of it, that is
permissible. It is mustahabb to circumcise females
provided that is not done in an extreme manner. It was narrated that ‘Umar said to a woman who circumcised females, “Leave some
of it if you circumcise (a girl).” Al-Khallaal said
in his Jaami’: What is cut when circumcising:
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn told
me that al-FadlibnZiyaad told them: Ahmad was asked, How
much should be cut in circumcision? He said, Until the
glans (tip of the penis) becomes visible.

Ibn al-Sabbaagh said in al-Shaamil:
What is obligatory in the case of a man is to cut the skin on the tip of the
penis until the entire glans becomes visible. In the
case of a woman, it means cutting the skin that looks like the comb of a
rooster at the top of the vagina, between the two labia; if it is cut the base
of it should be left like a date pit.

Al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The well-known correct view is
that everything covering the glans must be cut.

Al-Majmoo’, 1/351

Al-Juwayni
said:

The hadeeth
indicates that not too much of it should be removed (in the case of women),
because he said, “Leave something sticking out and do not go to extremes in
cutting.”

Tuhfat al-Mawdood, 190-192

The point is that in the case of
males, all the skin covering the tip of the penis should be cut, but in the
case of females only a part of the skin that is like a rooster’s comb at the
top of the vagina should be cut.

4 – The wisdom behind circumcision

With regard to a man, he cannot
be clean from urine unless he is circumcised, because drops of urine collect
underneath the foreskin and he cannot be sure that they will not drip and make
his clothes and body impure. Hence ‘Abd-Allaahibn ‘Abbaas was very strict on
the issue of circumcision. Imam Ahmad said: Ibn ‘Abbaas was very strict on this matter, and it was narrated
that there is no Hajj and no prayer for him, i.e., if a person is not
circumcised his Hajj and prayer are not valid. Al-Mughni, 1/115

With regard to the wisdom behind
the circumcision of women, it is to regulate their desire so it will be
moderate.

Shaykh al-Islam IbnTaymiyah (may Allaah have mercy
on him) was asked about whether women should be circumcised or not. He replied:

Praise be
to Allaah. Yes, they should be circumcised, i.e., the
top of the piece of skin that looks like a rooster’s comb should be cut. The
Messenger of Allaah (S) said to the woman who did circumcisions:
“Leave something sticking out and do not go to extremes in cutting. That makes
her face look brighter and is more pleasing to her husband.” That is because
the purpose of circumcising a man is to make him clean from the impurity that
may collect beneath the foreskin. But the purpose of circumcising women is to
regulate their desire, because if a woman is not circumcised her desire will be
strong. Hence the words “O son of an uncircumcised woman” are
used as an insult, because the uncircumcised woman has stronger desire. Hence
immoral actions are more common among the women of the Tatars and the Franks, that are not found among the Muslim women. If the circumcision
is too severe, the desire is weakened altogether, which is unpleasing for men;
but if it is cut without going to extremes in that, the purpose will be
achieved, which is moderating desire. And Allaah
knows best.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 21/114

5 – It is permissible to pay
money for circumcision.

IbnQudaamah said:

It is permissible to pay money
for circumcision and for medical treatment. We do not know of any difference of
opinion on this matter, because it is doing something that is needed and which
is allowed in sharee’ah. So it is permissible to pay
money for it, like all other permissible actions.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be
upon His Messenger.

Thanks for your question, and we implore Allah to guide us all to
the best and to grant us insight to understand the teachings of Islam.

Male circumcision is one of the important rites in Islam. The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, "There
are five things that are of the nature (i.e., of the natural hygiene): removing
the pubic hair, circumcision, trimming the mustache, removing the underarm
hair, and cutting of the nails" (reported in all the six authentic
collections of Hadith).

It is not an absolute requirement for the one intending to embrace
Islam to get circumcised. It is up to him to decide when to do it.

Responding to the question, the Islamic Religious Council of
Singapore states the following:

Thank you for your query. We commend your effort to seek the truth
in the religion.

Circumcision is compulsory for all male Muslims. However it is not
a condition for conversion to Islam. A non-Muslim can embrace Islam without
going through circumcision. After the conversion, he should build up his iman first with prayers and other religious duties.
He should also strengthen his knowledge in Islam by reading the Qur'an and books on Islam. Only after he feels comfortable
with circumcision will he be able to go through the process without any
reservation.

Circumcision enables one to easily clean his private part. The
foreskin of the penis usually gathers some urine in its sac. Thus, if one has
embraced Islam and has not undergone circumcision, he must ensure that his
penis is clean before performing any prayers, by pulling back the foreskin to
clean its internal part.

Circumcision nowadays is a fast and almost painless affair. The
initial injection of painkiller is the only pain that one will feel. If one goes
through laser surgery, the healing will be very fast, less than a week, since
there will be no stitches, just cutting of the skin with laser.

All
praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His
Messenger.

Dear
brother in Islam, we are very pleased for the great confidence you repose in us
and we really commend your apparent interest in having a better understanding
of the teachings of Islam and the rulings of this great religion in all
matters. In fact, Islam is a religion that encompasses all aspects of life and
secures guidance and light for all mankind.

It is well known that circumcision is an act pertaining to the fitrah (pure human nature). Some Muslim scholars
consider it as a confirmed Sunnah. Other scholars
consider it mandatory.

“First of all, we would like to stress the fact that circumcision is the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim and
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all). Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Five are the
acts quite akin to fitrah: Circumcision, shaving
the pubes, cutting the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits and clipping
(or shaving) the moustache.” (Reported in all the six authentic collections
of Hadith)

As regards the juristic views on this, Imam Abu Hanifah
and Imam Malik maintain that circumcision is
considered as a confirmed Sunnah (SunnahMu'akkadah), whereas Imam Shafi`i
and Ahmad ibnHanbal see it
as mandatory (wajib).

Circumcision in Medical Perspectives:

Circumcision, being an act of fitrah, reflects
Islam’s keenness on preserving man’s health and personal hygiene. This is
further clarified in the following:

Circumcision is a universal practice which is greatly influenced by cultural
and religious traditions. It is the most frequent operation on males not only
in Islamic countries, but also other parts of the world. For example, in the United States of America more than one million male infants are
circumcised each year. The performance of circumcision is one of the rules of
cleanliness in Islam.

The word fitrah in relation to cleanliness can
refer to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him), with regard to this matter, and fitrah
also 'implies an inner sense of cleanliness in man which is proof of his moral
convictions and mental health.'

Male circumcision means removal of the foreskin of the penis. The Islamic
scholar Al-Mawardi said, 'The ideal method is to
remove the skin completely from the beginning of the glans,
and the minimum condition is that nothing is left to cover the end of the glans." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
recommended performing circumcision at an early age. Al- Mawardi
stated that the chosen time is the 7th day after birth, but it can be carried
out up to 40 days after birth or thereafter until the age of 7 years, depending
upon the health of the infant or child at the time.

There is an ongoing debate on the value of neonatal circumcision. Indeed, the
position of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics since 1975 has been that
there are no valid or absolute medical indications for routine circumcision of
newborn male infants. On the other hand, the results of recent clinical and
epidemiological studies are supportive of the practice of circumcision in
newborn and infant males. From a two-part study involving cohorts of 3,924 and
422,328 infants respectively Wiswell and Roscelli found a higher rate of urinary tract infection in
uncircumcised compared with male circumcised infants. These investigators
observed that as the circumcision frequency rate decreases, the incidence of
urinary tract infections increases. Infection usually begins in the foreskin
which becomes swollen and difficult to retract. A medium for bacterial growth
and further spread of infection is provided by the fecal material trapped
between the foreskin and glans of the penis. Such a
condition probably leads to other more serious complications.

Proper hygienic care of the penis, which includes regular washing, will prevent
some infections, but among children this is difficult to maintain and is
probably not as effective as circumcision. Some conditions, such as phimosis, often lead to circumcision at a later age that
could have been prevented if it had been performed earlier. The possible risk
for long term urological complications in the infected, uncircumcised male
infant has not been properly studied. It is known, however, that as many as 50%
of male infants with urinary tract infections will subsequently reveal
demonstrable radiologic abnormalities. Thus, the
performance of circumcision and the practice of sunan
Al-fitrah as recommended in Islam is medically beneficial and reflects the wisdom of the
Islamic statements.” (http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545032)

Name of Questioner

Mustafa - Algeria

Title

Does The Qur’an Speak
about Circumcision?

Question

Dear sheikh, As-Salamu `alaykumwaRahmatullah. People differ regarding the issue of
circumcision. Does the Qur’an mention anything
about it? Please clarify this issue.

Date

28/Nov/2002

Topic

Acts akin to human nature

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-SalamuwaRahmatullahiwaBarakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and
blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, we are impressed by your question, which shows your
interest to abide by the Shari`ah in all details of
your life. May Allah help us all lead a righteous life based on Islam!

“The Qur’an consistently enjoins upon the faithful
their duty to emulate the Prophet, to follow his fine examples, and to obey
his orders (See for instance verses, An-Nahl 44;
Al-Hashr 7; Al `Imran
31-32; An-Nisa' 59', 66, 105, etc.). The Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) is not a postal-delivery man who simply
brought us the Qur’an; rather he has also been
entrusted with the task of explaining its teachings to us; thus the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) not only explained the Qur’an
in theory, but also by putting into practice each and every ideal of the Qur’an. This is why `A’ishah,
the Prophet’s beloved wife, described the Prophet’s character by saying: He
was Qur’an personified.

In an authentic Hadith, jointly reported by both
Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, “There are five things which form (an
integral) part of the fitrah (natural way of
Allah which has been inherited from all previous Prophets of Allah), namely,
circumcision, removing the pubic hair and shaving the armpit, clipping of
nails, and trimming one’s moustache.”

Based on such authentic reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) the scholars of Islam have unanimously concluded that circumcision is an
important rite of Islam as far as males are concerned. The only difference of
opinion among them is whether it is absolutely mandatory or merely highly
recommended. While some scholars consider it as highly recommended, the majority of them consider it as obligatory upon
males.

It is, however, important to note that there is nothing in the sources
prescribing circumcision on females.” (http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503546272)

Another
site of Islamic scholars writes:

Al-Salamalaykum

According to the Hanafi school it is a confirmed sunna (sunnamu’akkada)
for circumcision to be performed for a new born [male] as well as a person who
accepts Islam .According to other schools it is wajib.(Raddal-Muhtarv.7
p.342 Dar al-Fikr1995)

In one hadith in Musnad
Ahmad the words "get rid of the hair of disbelief and perform
circumcision" have been recorded.

The practice of circumcision is one of the salient features (sha`a'ir) of the religion of Islam. It is from amongst
those things that Rasulullah(sallallahualayhiwasallam) encouraged his ummah
to follow the way (millah) of HadratIbrahim (alayhissalam) in. HadratIbrahim (alayhissalam) was the first person to be circumcised at the age of
80.(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

Furthermore circumcision is an important aspect of taharah
(cleanliness), which is so strongly emphasised in
Islam, for when the foreskin is not removed, urine and other secretions can
collect under the folded skin. This area can become the site of very painful
infections from bacterial growth and the minor operation of circumcision
greatly simplifies basic hygiene for men and boys. "Indeed God loves those
who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure" - Qur'anSurah al-Baqarah

Hence it is a greatly meritorious sunnah
as well as physically beneficial to perform this act. However it is not a
pre-requisite for conversion to Islam.

So as
you can clearly see, circumcision on Muslim newborns is obligatory and is the sunnah of the prophet Muhammad.
Islam does not disregard or throw the practice of circumcision out; rather it
continues to uphold it.

And may
we all strive to follow the sunnah
of the blessed prophet Muhammad, and may Allah bless us for doing so. Ameen!